Red
by Flowerperson
Summary: Between black and white, he said to her, it's red.


**Disclaimer:** I, Flowerperson, do not own Teen Titans.  
**Title:** Red  
**Rating:** T (PG-13)  
**Categories:** Romance/Action/Adventure with some humour.  
**Summary:** Between black and white, he said to her; it's red.  
**Word Count:** 2501

* * *

**RED**

_Between black and white, he said to her; it's red._

**Flowerperson**_  
_© 2006

* * *

"_Not everybody likes to play the big villain, kid. I'm a thief. I'm not threatening your precious city; I'm just looking out for number one."  
- Red-X_

Raven was always confused on whose side Red-X was on. He was obviously against the law: stealing and causing damage to public (and private) properties. And yet, he also aided the Titans... occasionally. So what was it?

Was the thief an enemy, or an ally?

There was the factor that he only helped them when they shared a common foe. This led her to believe that Red-X was just simply selfish – and he had proclaimed this himself many a time). She concluded that he was simply an average human (shallow and conceited) with a bunch of high-tech gadgets.

"Negative," Raven stated into her communicator as she looked at the numerous monitors in front of her. The team was currently in NanoTech – a complex filled with laboratories on the south-western side of Jump City. "This area is clear."

"**Okay, Raven. Keep searching for a bit longer. He must still be here."**

An alarm had been activated; Robin believed that the culprit was Red-X. He did not tell the others, but Raven knew what he was thinking. If it was Red-X, he most likely set off the alarm deliberately to lure the Titans into a trap (or perhaps it was just an ego booster).

She sighed, pulling her hood down and brushing a violet lock behind her ear. For some reason, she really didn't feel in the working-mood. She had recently bought quite an old book that contained a few well-known Ancient Greek myths, and some not-so-well-known ones. At this present moment, she wanted nothing else than to be in her room, reading her book in complete solitude.

Pacing up the same corridors she had paced four times already, Raven felt the urge to contact Robin and tell him that his obsession with his alter-ego was irking her. Whoever this trespasser was, he or she had obviously made his or her exit already.

It was past midnight, and if it got too late, she wouldn't be able to read her book. Even for half-breeds, sleep was a necessity.

Suddenly – as if hearing her mental complaints – her communicator crackled. **"Raven!" **It crackled again, distorted. **"Red… your… confront…" **Then the electrical device cut out altogether; the voice had been Robin's (no doubt with that authoritative tone) but what he said made her scowl.

'_Red' _could have meant _'Red-X' _and this was probably the identity of the criminal, but there was also the option that he said: _"It's not Red-X" _or _"The perpetrator is wearing a red jacket". 'Your' _suggested that the trespasser was approaching her area, or it could mean _"You're…" _She had not heard the word in a sentence. _'Confront' _was much easier to decipher, split into two choices. It could have meant _"Don't confront" _or "_Confront"_.

Raven was more than capable to handle most criminals (even those notorious villains such as Dr Light), so she was tempted to go with the latter. However, jumping to conclusions was foolish and illogical – something that Beast Boy would do, therefore something that Raven would not do.

Muttering three certain words, her eyes glowed white as black energy spread out from her like a flood. This was a new technique she had recently developed, using her energy as a sort of trip-wire. If something to move in the radius of this technique, she would instantly know. The advantages were very beneficial for locating people without accessing their mind but it did have its disadvantages. First, anyone could see the dark flood and secondly, it would only coat the ground thus if the opponent was planning an aerial attack, this move would not aid her. In fact, it could give her a false sense of security.

No one was in her area, or approaching it and she didn't want to waste her energy expanding to her team-mate's sections. She withdrew the black energy, feeling a tingle as it retreated into her body.

A split-second later, she just picked up on the sound of feet landing on the floor. _Curse it. _She whirled just in time to meet a fist. The impact flung her against the wall, hitting the back of her head as well. Her nose was broken and bleeding; but nothing she wouldn't be able to heal later, when she had time… if she had time.

Blinking away the blurriness caused by the injury to her head, she looked upon the form of her assailant. Hatred influenced her to pull her lips back in a snarl but she resisted the temptation, settling for standing up and dusting herself off calmly instead. An indifferent façade was the best ways to confuse a criminal, but this person was no ordinary criminal and would not fall for such basic methods. However, it would only make him happy if she seemed affected.

"Why the long face, Sunshine?" The black holes where his eyes should be peered into her soul… if she had said soul.

"Red-X," she acknowledged, "How nice to meet you again." The sarcasm was evident; even Starfire would pick up on Raven's cynicism.

By the quiet chuckle she could hear, she guessed that he would be smirking. He took out three red shuriken, brandishing them in front of himself in a position indicated he would start off on the offensive. "Shall we begin?"

"Let's."

Some part of her insisted that it would be better for Robin and the others to arrive, but she had no idea how long it would take them to get here, or if they had already been incapacitated by the masked thief.

Pulling up the hood, she whispered the 'magic' words. A vent cover from above them flew towards him but he easily dodged it. She continued, relentlessly pushing him back. He must have noticed how he was approaching the wall, for he threw the weapons – making her drop the vent cover in favour for a shield – and took out his bo staff, knocking the vent cover away.

About to use her skill to enter his mind and knock him unconscious, she chanted: "Azareth, Metrion, Zinth—" A red sticker made its way over her mouth. She brought her hands up to rip off the obstacle when suddenly Red-X was behind her, holding her wrists by her sides.

"I win," he whispered into her ear.

Courage surfaced, thinking: '_You wish!'_ before swinging her leg behind her and directly in between his. He gasped for breath, his grip faltered, his knees twitched and his forehead pressed against the crook where her neck and shoulder met.

Then abruptly he was laughing, his grip was strong again, his knees were stable but his forehead remained in its previous position. "Low blow, Sunshine but I am always fully-prepared for such an '_assault_'. Groin-guards certainly are a necessity with feisty _heroines_—" he spat the word like it was poison, "—like you around. I never thought a Teen Titan could resort to such _dirty_ fighting." Her eyes widened – he didn't just… "I wonder what other _dirty _things you do, Sunshine." Overcome with rage and embarrassment, her eyes narrowed into a furious red as her energy flung him away from her.

Regaining her composure, she tore off the sticker before her black chakra tore it into a thousand little pieces.

Red-X laughed, getting back onto his feet. "Touchy, touchy, Sunshine. What? Can't stand a bit of harmless flirting? Maybe I should give you some lessons so you can dish it back…" She knew he was goading her, so she put on an impassive face.

"You can flirt with as many people as you like once we put you in Jump City's maximum-security prison. I'm sure the all-male population there will appreciate it."

He chuckled again, "You have some impressive wit. A little too dry for my tastes, but I suppose that just reflects your… character." He sighed, scratching the back of his neck, as if he was _bored_.

Stopping Courage from re-surfacing and _'kicking his scrawny **ass**!'_ Raven prepared to launch another (calculated, not rushed) attack. However, suddenly his hand moved away from a neck with a small object. She stopped chanting, wondering what it was. Funny, it kind of looked like a…

_Grenade!_

She had no time to put up a shield as he had already thrown it. However, instead of exploding just as she expected, red smoke erupted from it, quickly filling the corridor. Gasping from surprise, she inhaled some of the gas. Instantly, she felt dizzy. Her limbs transformed to jelly – she dropped onto the cold floor – and her mouth seemed incapable to do anything (she was forced to use her nose only for breathing).

Not a grenade, but some sort of paralysing gas. And she betted that, as well as hiding his identity, that mask was a gas-mask. Sure enough, he knelt by her motionless body and leaned over so all she could see was the skull.

"Looks like you got bested, Sunshine. And by such a mediocre weapon… Hmmm… I wonder if your cute team-mate will put up a better fight. She throws a decent punch." Raven tried to roll her eyes, but even that movement was limited. She could just about blink every few seconds. "But… you see, I had to come to the smartest one. The cutie and that green guy are already out of that category, leaving you, Chuckles and the robot." He stretched out, lying beside her as if he had all the time in the world. "Chuckles and I aren't exactly on the best of terms, and I'd rather be lying beside you instead of the tin can," he commented mischievously.

She tried to ask him what he wanted, why he wanted the 'smartest one'. As if reading her mind, he gave her the answer.

"You think NanoTech is an innocent company? If you did, you'd be sorely mistaken. They have a subterranean level – I know, I've been down there – where they're having… _illegal _experiments. Well, that is, unless testing on unwilling, alive human bodies is legal now. I really do need to brush up on my law; I haven't paid attention to it in such a long time." He snickered at his own joke. "They're trying to infuse different organisms with them, trying to make their own little army of hybrids. They're trying everything: dogs, cats, birds, mice… Heck, even fish.

"If it was a bunch of low-lives that no one would miss, I wouldn't bother with this. But it's not. The _'subjects' _are kidnapped, taken from their homes. I've seen three generations of the same family down there, including a seven year old girl. To be honest, I could probably stop it myself. Leave a few bombs, and no evidence will be left."

He sighed again (he seemed to do that a lot), resting his hands behind his head.

"I'm many things. I'm a thief, a liar, a criminal… I'm many things, but I'm not a murderer."

Red-X got up, stretching until he felt a satisfying _'click' _in his lower back.

"Just thought you should know. I suppose I should leave it to the heroes, right? The effects of the gas should disappear soon."

Her mouth was still hard to move, but she managed to slur some words out. "W-Why… Why are you… doing this? You are… a criminal…" Her earlier thought was that he was simply selfish, but with the information he was giving her, he seemed generally concerned for these people's welfare. He seemed to pause, turning back to her.

Mentally grinning, Raven knew this was the opportunity she had been waiting for. As she felt the paralysis completely wear off (her demon heritage was to thank for the quick recovery), she lunged for him, her hands glowing with black energy. He blocked her swipes. A stray tendril of her power hit the light bulb above them, casting them in complete darkness.

The half-demon gasped, withdrawing her powers. She had not meant to do that, which suggested that she was losing control. It would be far too dangerous to use her powers now when she was not completely focused. Raven would have to resort to her slightly better than average hand-to-hand combat, although she knew Red-X would surpass her in this area. He probably had night-vision also installed into his mask, whereas Raven could only sense things in this inky blackness.

She punched where she thought he was standing and hit only air. Rough hands threw her against the wall, pushing the front of her body against the hard surface.

"Hey," he teased, feigning a tone of hurt, "I gave you some good information."

"That doesn't change the fact that you're a wanted criminal. I don't take bribes, or exchanges of information. If you think this will excuse your crimes, you would be _'sorely mistaken',_" Raven hissed, quoting his earlier words.

He snickered, "Righteous, huh? And yet you fought so _dirty_…" he repeated the tone he had used before, making her cheeks redden as his muscular body suddenly pressed against her back. His hands held her wrists and his warm breath fanned against her neck.

Wait a second, _warm breath_? Red-X wasn't wearing his mask! This was her one opportunity to identify the thief, but she would need a light source first. Her lips whispered the incantation but his close proximity allowed him to hear. Chuckling, he turned her abruptly so she was facing him (all she could see was darkness with a darker silhouette). She continued the incantation, having no idea why he would turn her – really, it made her so much easier for her.

That is, until her words were cut off by another pair of lips meeting her own. At first she struggled, trying to push and kick him away but her wrists were in his grip, and her legs were being crushed by his own. Her short gasp as he constricted his hands around her wrist tighter was an opportunity for him to sneak his tongue in. Just as she was about to clamp her teeth down hard, his tongue returned to its rightful owner and his lips continued to massage hers. It was as if he didn't realise that they were enemies, or her team-mates could be making their appearance any second now, or the fact that she was a demon, and she didn't even know what he _looked _like, let alone his real name.

It was as if nothing mattered, they were simply too teenagers enjoying the touch of each other. But she didn't enjoy this – or so she told herself – she had learnt her lesson about foolish teenage hormones with Malchior, and… and… _curse it, _she couldn't do this again.

And yet the hormone-driven aspect of Raven pushed forward into the kiss, wanting more, more, _more_.

Then suddenly it ended.

Too shocked to remember the incantation for a light source, Raven stood dumbfound in the darkness, staring at this mysterious silhouette she could just about make out. He placed his mask back on.

Red-X leaned closer, staring at her through night-vision goggles.

"Between black and white," he said to her; "It's red."

-


End file.
